Welcome to the Louisiana Department of Education
About the Louisiana Department of Education
The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) provides guidance and support to all publicly funded early childhood centers and elementary and secondary schools in Louisiana. Specifically, the department provides tools and resources to schools and school systems to support classroom instruction, assessments, workforce development and college and career preparation. Additionally, the department provides families and the public with transparent reporting of center, school, and school system performance and quality through the Louisiana School Finder.
To stay connected with the LDOE and receive updates on our work and our resources, visit our newsroom and our newsletter subscriptions page.
Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE)
The LDOE is the administrative arm of the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE). BESE was established by the 1974 Louisiana Constitution. The Board is composed of 11 members: eight elected by the citizens of Louisiana’s eight BESE districts, and three appointed by the governor of Louisiana to represent the state at-large. Together, these members adopt and enact policies governing the elementary and secondary schools of Louisiana.
Louisiana's Education Priorities
Louisiana's education priorities maintain a clear focus on what matters most for academic achievement.
- Early childhood leading to kindergarten readiness
- Literacy instruction aligned to the Science of Reading
- Math instruction from foundational to advanced skills
- Opportunities ensuring a meaningful high school experience
- An effective teacher for every student
- Expand educational choice for students and families
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If you have questions, including public records requests, questions about licensure, or other types of inquiries, please see our contact us page.
Louisiana State Superintendent
Dr. Cade Brumley
Dr. Brumley is a Louisiana native who has dedicated his career to serving children, parents, and educators.
Back to the Basics
Louisiana's Education Priorities
From being ready to learn on the first day of kindergarten to thriving in a career, college
Employment Opportunities
Careers at LDOE
Join the Louisiana Department of Education as we strive for excellence.
Policy Guidance
State Advisory Groups
The LDOE facilitates over a dozen councils, committees, task forces, and other groups.
State's average ACT Composite score dips slightly to 18.4
BATON ROUGE, La. – Louisiana’s Class of 2021 earned an average ACT Composite score of 18.4, down from 18.7 in 2020 and 18.8 in 2019.
"Our students have faced extraordinary challenges over the last two school years,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. "More than ever, we must empower Louisiana students with the necessary resources and opportunities to assist them in reaching their full academic potential."
The ACT, used for college admissions consideration and TOPS scholarship eligibility, was adopted as a measure of college and career readiness in Louisiana in 2013. Since that time, the performance of Louisiana students on the ACT has informed policy. The state has noted a continuing decline in student performance on the ACT. An issue which has surfaced as a result of this trend is the question of the degree of alignment of the ACT with Louisiana Student Standards.
In response, The Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) has commissioned LSU to conduct a study of the alignment between the ACT College and Career Readiness Standards and the Louisiana Student Standards. Ultimately, a report will be produced to inform future decision-making around what further supports are needed by educators and students to best prepare students for ACT success.
50,101 students in the Louisiana Class of 2021 took the ACT – an estimated 98% of the graduating class. LDOE has invested Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Funds in various programs, such as Louisiana ACT® Now and The Louisiana Pre-ACT® Initiatives, to help sustain and grow Louisiana’s ACT participation rate. For more information on these programs, please visit LDOE’s website.
“Persistence from the Louisiana education community around participation in ACT testing, encouraging students to take the test multiple times and requesting and using fee waivers to improve testing affordability for students resulted in some notable achievements for our state despite the COVID disruption,” said Commissioner of Higher Education Dr. Kim Hunter Reed. “While significant improvements are necessary, we see that the emergency policies and practices embraced by educators, legislators and Governor John Bel Edwards paid dividends, giving students more opportunities to succeed in college. However, today, the race, background and zip code of our students tell us too much about their likelihood of success and we must change that. Improving minority student performance as it relates to college readiness benchmarks must be a priority in order to expand prosperity in our state.”
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